On a weekend with so much going on downtown – the Urban Slide, Denver Flea, the Urban Dare Scavenger Hunt, and the general mayhem of a Colorado summer day with no clouds in sight — the goal was a quick brunch to fuel our day somewhere close to the action…
Unlike at the original Boulder location, the Denver outpost of Zoe Ma Ma, a downhome Chinese-food concept that Gretchen Kurtz just reviewed, includes an optional 15 percent “Sustainability Initiative Fee” on all tabs. Owner Edwin Zoe says the fee helps him pay his employees a living wage. But the concept has been fodder…
This week Gretchen Kurtz reviewed the Union Station outpost of Zoe Ma Ma, the second home-style Taiwanese eatery from Edwin Zoe and his chef/mom Anna. And while she found deep flavors in a bowl of Sichuan braised-beef noodle soup, she also put some deep thought into the idea of service fees…
The hunger paradox has crippled us all from time to time—you’re hungry and don’t want to sacrifice taste or quality, but you’re in a hurry, don’t want to spend a fortune or rapidly approaching stages of hanger that make waiting an hour to get into a restaurant out of the…
You may have noticed the Taja Indian sign above the space that was until recently Bombay Bowl in the shopping center at Broadway and Sixth Avenue. While it may seem odd that one fast-casual Indian restaurant would take the place of another, Taja is under the same ownership as its…
Zoe Ma Ma, which Gretchen Kurtz reviews this week, gets compliments for the setup at its new Denver location, as well as for its downhome Chinese fare. But one thing isn’t drawing raves: a 15 percent sustainability initiative fee that’s added to all tabs unless a customer specifically opts out. Owner…
Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis is no stranger to innovation, having kicked off the craft-beer-in-a-can revolution in 2002. Now he’s launching a similar concept, only with coffee. This week Hotbox Roasters started selling its first batch of fair-trade coffee beans, packaged in the brewery’s “crowlers” — the resealable growler cans…
In just over a year, the Ethniche column has covered more than fifty restaurants and the food of a dozen cultures and regional styles, from the starting point in Hawaii sampling fried Spam and tuna poke to this month’s tour of the city’s Peruvian cuisine. In that time, there have…
Cities from Los Angeles to Chicago are hiking the minimum wage. Here in Denver, Edwin Zoe of Zoe Ma Ma, which I review this week, has taken matters into his own hands with what he calls a “sustainability initiative fee.” The 15 percent fee, which is automatically added to the…
Rebel Restaurant is coming to RiNo — specifically 3763 Wynkoop Street, the former home of several dive bars, including Fat Bros, Wynkoop Grill and Hospoda. But owners Dan Lasiy and Bo Porytko are planning to put the focus on the kitchen. “We want to be food first, bar second,” says…
It was hot, one of the first truly hot days of summer, and the sun had an intensity that caught me off guard. Saner types might have taken a seat on the plaza, where throngs of people had kicked off their shoes — and, in the case of a few…
The coveted former dive bar space at 38th Avenue and Wynkoop Street is finding new life with Rebel Restaurant. Owners Dan Lasiy and Bo Porytko are taking this historic building into the modern era with a uniquely re-imagined space and community-first approach to dining. Rebel’s food will be nostalgic with…
After several stops and starts, Blue Pan Pizza finally opened last week at 3930 West 32nd Avenue, where it’s now serving several kinds of pizza, including Detroit-style. But is that just too much of a good thing in pizza-heavy Highland? Says Jeff: We have enough pizza. And no one will ever…
Utah-based bread specialist Kneaders Bakery Cafe is opening its third Colorado location in Arvada this Friday. Kneaders was founded in Utah in 1997 by Gary and Colleen Worthington and the company has been slowly spreading since then, with 34 other cafes in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado and Texas. James Worthington, CEO…
Erik and Shannon Duffy were born and raised in a small Iowa town, and their grandfather raised hogs on the nearby family farm, so when they founded Tender Belly in 2010, they were returning to their roots — even if the brothers called Arizona and Colorado home at the time…
Littleton Taco House — one of only three locations in a homegrown chain that got its start in 1958 — has been closed for weeks since a roof-repair job turned into a major project. The eatery occupies a mid-century modern building that Colorado preservationists want to save — and Mexican…
Llamas are to Peru what longhorn cattle are to Texas (except that Peruvians don’t drive around with llama skulls mounted on the front of their Cadillacs). When you see a llama, whether in a painting of the animals grazing in the highlands above Machu Picchu or a near-life-size stuffed model…
Pastry chef Jessica La Forge has been making desserts in professional kitchens since her first baking job at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs when she was sixteen. Most recently, she was in charge of the ice cream at 5280 Ice Cream, the confectionery arm of 5280 Burger Bar in…
Will Tuggle made the move from executive chef at Stout Street Social to Humboldt recently and has begun adding new dishes to both the lunch and dinner menus while outgoing chef, DJ Nagle, transitions to his new role as executive chef at Blue Island Oyster House, scheduled to open later…
A little bit UK, a little bit kitsch, and a lot a bit boozy, Argyll is your friendly neighborhood gastropub that’s been transported across the pond. The place to brunch with a British twist, grab a traditional English breakfast, enjoy the people watching along 17th Avenue and sip on a…
Even before summer officially started, our great green chile debate of 2015 heated up across the Southwest, with an Albuquerque TV station reporting on the fiery feud and Top Chef winner and Blackbelly Market owner Hosea Rosenberg weighing in. (He comes by his preference for New Mexico’s green chile naturally: He…
Great news for downtown revelers looking for a watering hole during the weekend’s PrideFest activities: The Greedy Hamster has reopened after closing for two days due to a shower of bricks that dislodged from the building’s facade on Monday. While the structure is robed in temporary construction boarding, the Hamster is serving…
